A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8499209 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86880469 epoch_slot_no: 307669 block_no: 8499032 slot_leader_id: 4558321 size: 27183 time: 2023-03-10 11:12:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xeff0bceddb9769573728f50eb0d4e4d9e3b21d842fecf17ba8b91e9f953bcbd3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s4mtwaux6gujlh3f99tfg59ssunv7pr0khspnjd87evmh4fqkr7strnql2 op_cert: \x9590f21f994d4b727cf8eb9e0ed82b56257afdc429d7b3267ae71f97d4f672f5 op_cert_counter: 13